As is well known, watch crystals, and particularly those of wristwatches, are normally subjected to considerable abuse, and often become badly scratched or marred as a result; indeed, it is not uncommon for the crystal to be cracked or broken. While it has previously been proposed in the art to provide means for protecting such crystals, as far as is known no commercially satisfactory protective cover has heretofore been proposed, nor has there been provided a convenient means of packaging and marketing such an item.
Examplary of the relevant prior art is Daw U.S. Pat. No. 1,249,906, wherein a metal protector for a wristwatch is disclosed, which is slotted to provide a Venetian blind-like structure. Daving U.S. Pat. No. 1,503,097 discloses a protective and decorative cover plate for a watch; a protective watch cover having a transparent portion to permit viewing is shown in Schreiber U.S. Pat. No. 1,767,315, and a somewhat similar unit is taught in Belfert U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,473. Mietchen U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,416 discloses a snap-together cover and base assembly, and Kammer U.S. Pat. No. 2,692,070 discloses a plastic bracelet within which the works of a watch may be contained. A protective guard is shown in Ward U.S. Pat. No. 2,745,580, and a unit having portions that slide under the wrist band, to position the covering element, is taught in Sion U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,455. Finally, Richards U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,842 discloses a bracelet-like assembly which is designed to be placed over a watch to protect it against abuse.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel article and method by which an effective protective covering for a watch crystal is readily provided.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel package assembly, which is specifically adapted for the packaging and marketing of a cover member suitable for use to provide such a covering.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a novel article and assembly which are relatively simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture, and to provide such a novel method which is convenient and facile to carry out.